Ruddocks grand design

The national coach has revived rugby in Wales, returning passion and pride to a previously negative team and nation

Just over 15 miles north of Newport, the Western Valley of Gwent splits into two. One spur swings away till it meets the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons. In the area is Big Pit, formerly a working colliery, and now a working museum to the Welsh nation’s seminal industry.

The spur also runs through the town of Blaina, home of what was once the archetypal ferocious valley rugby team; for the opposition, for those of us who can speak from experience, the nearest thing to hell on earth. Now, there is another monument to the past — the boarded-up building that was once Blaina RFC’s clubhouse. The team still plays, but meets in the local pub. The clubhouse was closed because Blaina ran up debts in a rush to pay players.

Yet the village is also a source of new vitality, as the birthplace and family home of Mike Ruddock,